FOOTBALL is forever grateful for the dare and belief of the late, great Harry Beitzel as the founding father of what has evolved into the Virgin Australia International Rules Series.
The legendary field umpire and football commentator was the face and financier of the 1967 Galahs tour of Ireland and the United States with a bunch of eager football stars, most who didn't even possess a passport, let alone travelled overseas.
But if history takes a step back, there's another champion footballer who's the true pioneer of the idea to promote Australian Football around the world via a hybrid game.
Former Hawthorn rover Ian Law, a three-time best and fairest winner and member of the Hawks' first premiership team in 1961, hatched his plan while sitting in a London pub watching Galway and Kerry play the 1965 All-Ireland Gaelic final.
"A chap sitting next to me from Perth said, 'Now there's an opportunity for you blokes to get some international competition.' The similarities of the games were obvious," Law said.
"So I made a few contacts when I went to Ireland and when I got home I started to do some research. I went to Canberra and spoke to a few people there and they seemed supportive. I went down to Tassie when the (1966) national carnival was on and spoke to a few of the players and they supported it."
Still unsure how to sell such a radical idea, Law approached former ace wingman Brian Dixon, a five-time Melbourne premiership player and later a prominent Victorian politician, who put out feelers in his weekly column in The Age in June, 1966.
Beitzel and businessman Andrew Buckle responded and Law made his pitch as the trio sat in the media guru's car outside the ABC studios, then located in Melbourne's CBD.
"We weren't sure how the clubs would react, but most of them were pretty good," Law said. "We chased sponsors and Harry had most of the connections in that area.
"We got plenty of moral support, but no dollars. So in the end Harry said he would put the Footy Week (his weekly newspaper) profits into the tour and sponsor it.
"It was an exciting time. Harry was moving most of the wheels once he made that commitment. He's a special person, he had connections all over the place."
Law was also an outstanding cricketer as a batsman for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield.
At 79, he now runs a property on the Darling River, north of Wentworth in NSW, and regularly hosts family, friends, ex-teammates and opponents in both sports.
He's grateful Beitzel could make his dream become reality, underwriting the 1967 and 1968 end-of-season tours.
